From The Beatles to The Who: The British Invasion Quiz

Looking back, it may seem that bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who have always been around. But they were part of a huge wave of British music that flooded the U.S. in the mid-1960s. Put on your Nehru jacket, and see how much you know about the British Invasion with our quiz.

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Question 1 of 30

British invaders often pointed to individual American rockers as influencers, but there was one huge difference between Brits and Yanks. What was it?

their clothes

their tastes in food

Brits invaded in bands.

While they identified Americans Chuck Berry, Elvis and Buddy Holly as influencing their music, the British sound came most often from bands that wrote and performed original tunes.

Question 2 of 30

What event is seen as the start of the British Invasion?

The Beatles play "The Ed Sullivan Show."

The instrumental "Stranger on the Shore" reaches No. 1 in the U.S.

One-hit-wonder Acker Bilk, a clarinetist from England, has the honor of being the first British artist to top the American pop charts with his song on May 26, 1962.

The Animals perform on "American Bandstand".

Question 3 of 30

Following in Acker Bilk's footsteps can't have been easy, but this song, which went to No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts in January 1964, marks the start of the real invasion. What was it?

"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles

The Beatles tried repeatedly to breach U.S. shores in 1963 with songs that had topped the U.K. charts. But it was 1964's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" that finally led them to No. 1.

"Glad All Over" by The Dave Clark Five

Question 4 of 30

What U.S. tragedy is credited with making the time right for British — and The Beatles', especially — upbeat, catchy songs?

the fire in Apollo 1 that killed three astronauts

the death of Marilyn Monroe

the assassination of John F. Kennedy

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, sending the country into national mourning. The Beatles' energy, wit and upbeat music helped bring the U.S. out of its depression.

Question 5 of 30

Often described as the first folk-rock hit, this song about life gone bad in New Orleans was the first U.S. chart-topper for British pop group The Animals.

"See See Rider"

"House of the Rising Sun"

The Animals hit in 1964 with the most popular version of the folk song that has been around since at least the early 1900s and has been covered by everyone from Woody Guthrie to Andy Griffith.

"A Summer Song"

Question 6 of 30

From 1964 to 1966 this group placed 15 hits in the U.S. Top 40, giving The Beatles a run for their money. Which group is it?

The Kinks

The Zombies

The Dave Clark Five

DC5, as all the cool kids called them, first charted with "Glad All Over." By the time it was all over, they had sold more than 50 million records.

Question 7 of 30

This group was a bit late to the invasion. Its biggest U.S. hits, "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man," came in late 1966 and 1967. Which band is it?

The Spencer Davis Group

The biggest thing to come out of the band was Steve Winwood, who left in 1967 to form Traffic and then left that for a solo career.

The Zombies

The Searchers

Question 8 of 30

This group invaded in 1964 with the song "Time Is on My Side."

The Who

Herman's Hermits

The Rolling Stones

The Stones seemed determined to be the band your parents warned you about, coming on unsmiling and raunchy. It seems to have worked for them.

Question 9 of 30

This singer won the 1965 Grammy for best rock 'n' roll recording for "Downtown."

Petula Clark

Petula Clark's song, written by Tony Hatch after his first trip to New York, is an upbeat tune about a nightclub that never closes.

Dusty Springfield

Marianne Faithfull

Question 10 of 30

This band, featuring brothers Ray and Dave Davies, had early success with songs including “You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night."

Herman's Hermits

The Zombies

The Kinks

The Kinks' biggest hit came in 1970 with "Lola," maybe the only hit song (or at least the first) about an encounter with a cross-dresser.

Question 11 of 30

This singer proved that you didn't have to be in a band to hit it big in the U.S. in the '60s with his songs "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow."

This band hit the charts at the tail end of the invasion with "I Can See for Miles" in 1967.

Manfred Mann

The Who

The Who was already enormously popular in England with hits like "My Generation" and "I Can't Explain" before storming the U.S.

The Yardbirds

Question 13 of 30

While the men formed bands in the '60s, the women rode in as solo artists, including this one whose first hit was "As Tears Go By."

Lulu

Petula Clark

Marianne Faithfull

The song was written for Faithfull by The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, along with their manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

Question 14 of 30

This band was managed by The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein and had three consecutive No. 1 hits in the U.K. in 1963, starting with "How Do You Do It."

Gerry and the Pacemakers

Gerry and the Pacemakers had their first U.S. hit in 1964 with "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," which reached No. 4 on the Billboard charts.

The Mindbenders

Herman's Hermits

Question 15 of 30

Often, the recordings credited to this band were just lead vocalist Peter Noone and whatever session musicians were available.

The Yardbirds

Herman's Hermits

Incredible musicians like Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, who went on to fame and fortune themselves, backed Noone on many of Herman's Hermits' tunes.

The Zombies

Question 16 of 30

This Brit hailed from Wales and topped the U.S. charts with songs including "What's New Pussycat?" and "With These Hands."

Davy Jones

Mick Jagger

Tom Jones

Tom Jones began life as Thomas John Woodward. His first U.K. hit, "It's Not Unusual," led to spots on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and the rest, as they say, is history.

Question 17 of 30

This band's biggest U.S. hit, "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," came in 1972, well after the invasion and long after many of its fellow invaders had fallen by the wayside.

The Hollies

Their rich harmonies of The Hollies led to 22 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 in the U.S. between 1964 and 1975, making them the No. 4 British hit-makers of the period.

The Yardbirds

The Zombies

Question 18 of 30

The Beatles' debut album was recorded in one day in 1963 and spawned hits including "Twist and Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There." What is its name?

"Meet the Beatles"

"Please Please Me"

The album features 14 songs — six covers and eight original tunes that highlight the band's range.

"With the Beatles"

Question 19 of 30

A much bigger star in the U.K. than in the U.S., she made her mark on this side of the pond with the theme song from the movie "To Sir, With Love." Who is she?

Petula Clark

Lulu

Born in Scotland, Lulu had her first British hit at age 15 with a cover of The Isley Brothers' "Shout."

Dusty Springfield

Question 20 of 30

This band with a name that sounds like it came from caveman days had a hit in 1966 with "Wild Thing."

Tarzan and the Apemen

The Neanderthals

The Troggs

While they became famous for their caveman sound, The Troggs also recorded ballads, including "Love Is All Around."

Question 21 of 30

This band took its name from a city in Tennessee, though it hailed from Surrey in England.

The Nashville Teens

The Nashville Teens' biggest hit, "Tobacco Road," was also American-inspired, taken from the 1932 book of the same name by Erskine Caldwell.

the Memphis Mafia

The Knoxville Nine

Question 22 of 30

A lot of literate lyrics came out of the British Invasion, but there was a lot of nonsense too, including the 1964 hit "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" recorded by what band?

Manfred Mann

The band also reached No. 10 in the U.S. with "Mighty Quinn" in 1968. Manfred Mann later had success with his band Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

The Zombies

Freddie and the Dreamers

Question 23 of 30

In other lyric silliness, the one-hit wonder The Swinging Blue Jeans made the big time with a tune that set hips to swinging as much as their blue jeans did. What was the song?

"Hippy Hippy Shake"

The band — from Liverpool, England, like the Fab Four — had more success in England, but it didn't manage to make hips shake again in the U.S.

"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"

"The Purple People Eater"

Question 24 of 30

Called the "best ever pop singer" by Rolling Stone magazine, this British invader hit the charts with "Son of a Preacher Man" and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me."

Marianne Faithfull

Dusty Springfield

Springfield peaked with the 1968 album "Dusty in Memphis," produced by Jerry Wexler, who had produced Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.

Cilla Black

Question 25 of 30

At the height of the invasion (1964-65), how many weeks did British acts hold the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100?

25

42

56

After having held the top spot for only four weeks total before 1964, Brits took hold for more than half of the next two years. They also had 65 singles in the Top 40 in 1964 and 68 singles in 1965.

Question 26 of 30

This band had three hits in 1965: "For Your Love," "Heart Full of Soul" and "I'm a Man."

The Honeycombs

The Yardbirds

In addition to a string of Top 40 hits, the Yardbirds graduated arguably the top three British guitar players of the era: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

The Moody Blues

Question 27 of 30

This duo, with its hits "A World Without Love" and "I Go To Pieces," defied the notion that you had to be in a band to hit it big in the U.S. in the mid-'60s.

Simon and Garfunkel

Peter and Gordon

It's no wonder the duo — Peter Asher and Gordon Waller — was a success with material like the Lennon-McCartney written "A World Without Love."

Chad and Jeremy

Question 28 of 30

This walking-dead band had hits with "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No."

The Vampires

The Undead

The Zombies

OK, this one was too easy. The Zombies also had almost as much staying power as the undead of today. They hit the U.S. charts with "Time of the Season" in 1969.

Question 29 of 30

Looking back, this band is mentioned as one of the top three British bands of the '60s — and beyond, but they didn't tour in U.S. or breach the Top 40 until 1967 with "Happy Jack." What band was such a latecomer?

The Hullaballoos

The Who

The Who struggled to get a foothold on American soil, until they landed with "Happy Jack" and never looked back.

The Rolling Stones

Question 30 of 30

Fill in the blank: As Life magazine put it in 1964, "In [1776] England lost her American colonies. Last week ______ took them back."

The Rolling Stones

The Beatles

The Fab Four were the undisputed leaders of the British Invasion. Seemingly overnight in January 1964, Beatlemania had the whole country in a frenzy that was just the beginning of a love for all things English.